Educational game.



PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907 B. BERG.

EDUCATIONAL GAME. APPLICATION FILED MAE. 3, 1905.

Em lia. :2 w w \L mm i w. v v9:22222- rrnirEn STATES PATENT orricia EsTELLA BEEe, OF CLEVELAND, 01-110, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EMIL BERG, OF CLEVELAND, 01-110.

To all whom it may con/007%.-

Be it known that I, ESTELLA BERG, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Educational Games; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in educational games designed. to afford elementary instruction in music, and more especially elementarily instruction relative to playing on the keyboard of a piano or organ.

One object of this invention is to devise not only an enjoyable game for children, but to provide a game which while being played will assist the players in memorizing such elementary musical knowledge as, for instance, the use of the staff, the distinction between the treble staff and the bass staff, the relative lengths of different notes and rests, the order of pitch representations on the treble staff from middle C upward, the order of pitch representations on the bass staff from middle C downward, and the significance of such signs, marks, or characters as sharps, flats, the dot, and the repeat.

Another object is to familiarize the players with the keyboard of a piano or organ and to facilitate reading of notes generally.

With these objects in view this invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts and peculiarities hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan of apparatus suitable for use in playing my improved game. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Referring to the drawings, J indicates a table or board which is provided at its upper surface with two parallel flexible strips K and L of cardboard or other material. The strips K and L are arranged at and extend along the left-hand side edge and right-hand side edge, respectively, of the board J and attached to the latter in any approved manner at both endsthat is, the strips K and L are attached only at the ends to the board J and respectively form a slideway for a slide-form- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3,

Patented March 26, 1907.

1905. Serial No. 248,287.

ing sleeve P, which embraces and is slidable endwise of the respective strip; Each slideway-forming strip is graduated, being provided with a row of circles, marks, or characters m, which are suitably spaced longitudinally of the strip. The graduated strips K and L and engaging indicator-forming sleeves P are instrumental in counting the points made by the players.

My improved game, as illustrated, is designed to be played by two persons provided with distinguishing-checkers, respectively. One of the players counts the number of points made by him by the use of the strip K and engaging sleeve, and the other player uses the strip L and engaging sleeve in counting the number of points made by him.

Upon the upper portion of the board J is a picture or representation of the keyboard of a piano or organ. As the white keys of a keyboard are named after the names of the D, E, F, and G, the white-keyrepresenting spaces or divisions of the keyboard illustrated bear the said letters.

The space representing the key which is named middle C is midway between the two ends of the keyboard bears the letter C, and is numbered 1 for the purpose hereinafter made apparent. The key-representing spaces or divisions between the right-hand side of the space or division numbered 1 and the strip L are numbered 2, 3, 4, 57)((67)) ((7,)!18,J7 ((9,7) (107)7 (11,77lL127)) ((13,?) (14,77 (15,77 ((16,!) (117,77 tvely, and bear the letters D, E, F, (G), (A), (By) (G777 (1]),77 E,J) (F777 IKG,J7 I{A,)) (B); ((0),) (4D,), (E), tively. The key-representing spaces or divisions between the left-hand side of the keyrepresenting space or division numbered 1 and the strip B arenumbered 2, 3, 4, ll ,7) ,H4(7,77l 877)l97) (K10),KK11,UZZ12U H13); ((1477) (I 1577) ((16777 and H17); respec tively, and bear the letters B, A, G, Fy77 (E77, ((1),?! 0777 (13,?) (A)? ZKG,77 (F/7 Z(E,J7 (D), ((0,)? ((B7)) (A)? tively.

' Upon the board A below the representation of the keyboard are drawn or pictured two circular staffs, which are suitably spaced laterally, and each staff therefore surrounds a circular space centrally of which a disk R is pivoted, as at 1", which disk is provided with a first seven letters of the alphabet, A, B, C,

pointer or indicator it, arranged to cooperate with. a mark, sign, or character upon the said stall in determining the number ol. points won or lost by the player using the said stall and. indicator.

In playing the game one of the players would of course use one Oil the stalls and the co peratin gj indicator, whereas the other stall and cooperating indicator would be employed by the other player. ()ne of the stalls is the bass stall, and. the disk bearing the indicator which cooperates with the said stall bears the words Bass clel and the character known as the bass clef. other stall is the treble stall, and the disk bearing the indicator which cooperates with the treble stall bears the words 'lreble clef and the character known as the treble clel. Upon each stall areplaced notes, rests, or other marks, signs, or characters arrang d at suitable intervals circumlerentially ol the stall.

The notes of the treble stall areletteredand numbered to correspond with the letter." and numbers ol? the relative key-remcsenting spaces or divisions from middle U, inclusive, upward (to the right) of the picture or representation. of the keyboz'trd. The notes ol the bass clef are numbered and lettered to correspond with the numbers and letters of the relative key-representing spaces and divisions, respectively, from middle C, inclusive, downward (to the lclt) ol. the picture or representation ol' the keyboard. Each circular stall and characters thereon. constitute a musical notation arranged. in the lorm oi a circle, and each musical notation comprises quarternotes, counting one; one or more. lrallarotes, counting two one ormore dotted l'ltll-llOtQS, counting three; one or more whole notes, counting four, and one or more dotted whole notes, counting six. Each. musical notation comprises also a repeat and. dillercnt rests such, for instance, as a quarter-rest, a hallrest, and a whole rest. Each musical notation preferably comprises also a note preceded by a sharp and another note preceded by a llat.

In playing the player scores one, two, three,

The

\ tour, or six points, according as the indicator j which he spins points, upon ceasing to revolve, to a f1uarter-note, a hall-note, a doti l l l l l ted hall-note, a whole note, or a dotted whole note, respectively, and misses one turn, two turns, or tour turns it the indicator stops opposite a quarter-rest, hall-rest, or whole rest, respectively, andv has another turn it the indicater stops opposite the repeat. ll the indieater should, stop opposite a note accompanied by a sharp or a Hat, the player scores or loses a predetermined number oi points,

respectively.

To Familiarize the player with the keyboard. ol a piano or organ, each player being provided with checkers, as hereinbet'ore indicated, places a checker upon the key-representing space or division which islette red and numbered and relatively arranged to corre spend with the lettering, numbering, and relative position, respeet'vely, ot a note to which the indicator spun, by him points. l l", for instance, the player using' the bass stall and cooperating ind'eator had spun the indicator to point to a note on the upper line of the stall, which note is named A and numbered "3, the player would place a checker at, as shown, upon the lwy-representing: space or division named A and numbered 3, because the lirst key, named. A, below the key known as middle 0'' ol' the keyboard corresponds in relative position to a note placed upon the upper line ol" the bass clel.

What I claim is- In game apparatus, a table or board provided upon its upper portion with a picture or re n'esentation of a keyboard 01'' a piano or organ, which board is also provided upon its upper side with a musical notation; a pointer or indicator adapted. to point to characters of the musical notation; means for changing the relative positions of the indicator and inuiscal notation, and. a movable checker :0.

in testimony whereof I sign the lot-(going specification in the presence ol. two witnesses.

ESTELLA BERG.

\Vitnesses 0. ll. Donna, B. 0. BROWN. 

